Amazon seeks approval for Central Intelligence Agency contract

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has filed a complaint in the US Court of Federal Claims over approval for its cloud computing contract with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

AWS secured the four-year contract worth about $600m from CIA to build a private cloud for its intelligence community.

In its complaint, Amazon challenged the scope of action taken by the CIA following protest by IBM on the contract and recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

An Amazon spokeswoman said in a statement: "We believe strongly that the CIA got it right the first time. Providing true cloud computing services to the intelligence community requires a transformative approach with superior technology.

"We believe that the CIA selected AWS based on AWS’s technically superior, best value solution, which will allow the Agency to rapidly innovate while delivering the confidence and security assurance needed for mission-critical systems.

"We look forward to a fast resolution so the Agency can move forward with this important contract."

According to the filing, Amazon is seeking a response from the court by 23 September 2013.